I've always since the 4th Doctor had this fan theory in my head that what we see in a Timelor/lady is not the actual being. They're not human, they come from an alien world, and their physical body may be a disguise for their actual form.

I've always since the 4th Doctor had this fan theory in my head that what we see in a Timelor/lady is not the actual being. They're not human, they come from an alien world, and their physical body may be a disguise for their actual form.

I have this theory on a connection between Trek and Doctor Who. I didn't come up with it, though, I think I read it years ago, maybe in a fanfic.

Anyway, this theory is that Guinan is a former companion of the Doctor, and together they ran into Q, which is why Q was afraid of her, why Guinan was on 19th century Earth. I realize, though, that the Whoniverse and the Trek universe contradict each other at some points (even though they both also have enough paradoxes in their own universes), so it may also be that they are parallel universes and Guinan travelled with the Doctor of the Trek universe. Building on that theory, it may be that the parallel universe the Third Doctor visits in "Inferno" was the Mirror Universe.

I have this theory on a connection between Trek and Doctor Who. I didn't come up with it, though, I think I read it years ago, maybe in a fanfic.

Anyway, this theory is that Guinan is a former companion of the Doctor, and together they ran into Q, which is why Q was afraid of her, why Guinan was on 19th century Earth. I realize, though, that the Whoniverse and the Trek universe contradict each other at some points (even though they both also have enough paradoxes in their own universes), so it may also be that they are parallel universes and Guinan travelled with the Doctor of the Trek universe. Building on that theory, it may be that the parallel universe the Third Doctor visits in "Inferno" was the Mirror Universe.

I came up with the idea that the Time Lords weaponized their regenerations during the Time War, which result in orange/yellow energy pattern and the destruction of nearby things. It fits the evidence, explains the ending of Time of the Doctor and would seem like the type of dumb thing the Time Lords would do. They've been circling around this idea in Big Finish, too, but nothing quite touching on it.

I came up with the idea that the Time Lords weaponized their regenerations during the Time War, which result in orange/yellow energy pattern and the destruction of nearby things. It fits the evidence, explains the ending of Time of the Doctor and would seem like the type of dumb thing the Time Lords would do. They've been circling around this idea in Big Finish, too, but nothing quite touching on it.

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Hmm, could be logical if the timelords made a couple assumptions about how they would likely be regenerating in wartime. You don't have to explode but it takes conscious effort not to. If you are grievously injured (and thus can't control it) you are either surrounded by enemies or are in a time lord hospital where they can take precautions. Since the Doctor lost contact with Galafrey after the war, his never got turned back to normal, and he's notoriously bad a controlling regeneration anyway.

I know it's not canon but it was just an idea I've always had in my head that their appearance like a TARDIS is only a shell.

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There was some allusion to this with the idea that Capaldi's Doctor was more inhumane because "the interface isn't quite right this time".

I see regeneration more as a kaleidoscope - the core pieces stay the same but regeneration shakes them up so the pattern is different.

I also buy the idea that there are two "generations" of Time Lords, the Doctor falling into the former and Romana into the latter - with the latter having better control over their regenerations, hence Romana being able to "choose" her appearance in Destiny. Though on the evidence from the show you could easily just say that Time Ladies who are BORN Time Ladies have better control, as per River.

Interesting but in the episode they said he was his final regeneration or something to that effect, an amalgamation of things.

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Between his twelfth and final incarnations. There's nothing to rule out an "amalgamation of the darker sides of [the Doctor's] nature" being indistinguishable in practice, or theory, from a Watcher.

EDIT - the same could probably be said for the Dream Lord, although he was mostly confined to the Doctor's mind.

I have a theory that the Time Lords forcibly extracted some of the Doctor's "potential", for lack of a better term, from later in the Doctor's life. Luck (or UNluck) of the draw meant it was all the negative aspects of the Doctor's personality.

Between his twelfth and final incarnations. There's nothing to rule out an "amalgamation of the darker sides of [the Doctor's] nature" being indistinguishable in practice, or theory, from a Watcher.

EDIT - the same could probably be said for the Dream Lord, although he was mostly confined to the Doctor's mind.

I have a theory that the Time Lords forcibly extracted some of the Doctor's "potential", for lack of a better term, from later in the Doctor's life. Luck (or UNluck) of the draw meant it was all the negative aspects of the Doctor's personality.

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But wasn't that the whole point of the Valeyard, that he was the dark side of the Doctor?

I have a theory that the Time Lords forcibly extracted some of the Doctor's "potential", for lack of a better term, from later in the Doctor's life. Luck (or UNluck) of the draw meant it was all the negative aspects of the Doctor's personality.

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This is sort of the case per Big Finish's "last" Sixth Doctor story. There's some lamp shading of the Valeyard being forcibly created for some dark purpose in the future - presumably the time war.

As the Valeyard has been exclusively a Sixth Doctor foe, I've taken to the opinion that Six sacrificing himself and Seven "forcibly" taking over eliminated the possibility of the Valeyard. More so with the War Doctor. A potential future that would have come about from something later in Six's life.

In my my mind, the Watcher in Logopolis is like K'Enpo in Planet of Spiders: His future self. However, unlike that situation, the Doctor's Watcher is just like the Doctor himself: Chaos personified. K'Enpo, being the future self of the Hermit, is just his present self, a literal prototype of composure, knowledge and wisdom. He knows and understands how regeneration works, in a way the Doctor never has or ever wants to. He's in harmony with his future projection and allows it to take his place, making for a seamless transition. Whereas the Doctor is rarely ever in good company when he meets even his past incarnations by mistake or otherwise. He's in complete disharmony with his future, and none more so than the Fourth Doctor, who might've gone on forever where it not for Almost Five knocking on his door.

In short, the Watcher is Five, who should've arrived by now, IMO. Its the Time Lords version of the Grim Reaper - only, he's not Death, he's the Regeneration.

Similarly, I think the Valeyard is a Watcher of the Doctor, who the Doctor himself, in every medium seemingly, defeated too early, in order never to become that twisted, dark future, ever. In other words, he's a possible future of the Doctor that now never can be.